Catastrophic Health Care Expenditure among Older People with Chronic Diseases in 15 European Countries.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

It is well-known that the prevalence of chronic diseases is high among older people, especially those who are poor. Moreover, chronic diseases can result in catastrophic health expenditure. The relationship between chronic diseases and their financial burden on households is thus double-sided, as financial difficulties can give rise to, and result from, chronic diseases. Our aim was to examine the levels of catastrophic health expenditure imposed by private out-of-pocket payments among older people diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases and cancer in 15 European countries.

Methods

The SHARE dataset for individuals aged 50+ and their households, collected in 2010-2012 was used. The total number of participants included in this study was N = 51,

SUBMITTER: Arsenijevic J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4933384 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature